A guitar project from start to finish

This guitar was a special order from one of my local clients. He wanted a guitar that would be easy to play (he is just a beginner) and would last him for years if he played in a band. He wanted a style that would be recognized but would immediately stand out as different. He chose the color green for the wood stain, which is difficult to obtain. Painting with a solid color is much easier. I finally found it at Guitar Re-Ranch (www.reranch.com). We chose a "tele" style body to start with a rounded neck (with a slight "V"). I suggested higher frets since he is a beginner, and cut the neck to a stock Fender size in case he wanted to change the neck later.

The body (alder wood) was ordered precut and pre-routed for tele pickups. Since I was using the standard tele setup, this was better than an unrouted blank to begin. Unfortunately, the body I received had a finish on it, so it had to be sanded down to the bare wood. Under the color coats was about 4 coats of clear. The pictures begin after I took off the color coats.

The color was mixed with alcohol	Sanding with 600, 1000 and 1200 grit.
#1 Here you can see the bare wood (darker spots) starting to come through the finish	#2 Here is after the second sanding
#3 After more sanding	#4 After even MORE sanding (note the sap defect in the wood at the bottom)
#5 After sanding the top 3 times... still not finished	#6 The first stain... needs more sanding. The dye will not penetrate where the finish was previously.
#7 After 2 stains. This is not yet the color.	#8 Starting to dye the sides. The body took 4 coats of stain to get the color right
#9 Finishing the dye on the sides	#10 Getting the front ready. Note the two sap stains in the wood.
#11 After the first coat and sanding	#12 Working on the finish with steel wool
#13 Getting the stain even	#14 Back with stain almost right
#15 Headstock shaped and tuners installed	#15 Back of headstock
#16 After 5 coats of nitro laquer	#17 After 12 coats of nitro
#18 Back after 12 coats of nitro	#19 Laying out the bridge and pickguard
Go To Page 2 -	-to see completion